discretion
Sign in to saveDiscretion is the power or right to decide or act according to one's own judgment; freedom of judgment or choice. In a broader social context, it refers to the quality of being discreet, encompassing the ability to behave or speak in such a way as to avoid causing offense or revealing private information.
In the Vinony graph
Within Vinony's link graph, discretion is referenced by 174 other articles, and connects out to Latin, police and International Standard Book Number.
It sits within the topics Administrative law, Legal terminology and Social concepts.
Its subject is documented across 12 Wikipedia language editions.
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- behavior
- Image
- Advokat, Engelsk advokatdräkt, Nordisk familjebok.png
Show 3 more facts
- authority
- self
- uses
- judgment
- facet of
- administrative law
Sources (3)
via Wikidata · CC0
~10 min read
Encyclopedic overview
12 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Discretion in law
- Judicial discretion
- Prosecutorial discretion
- Law enforcement discretion
- Administrative discretion
- Constraints and review
- In ethics and social behavior
- In economics
- Military discretion
- See also
- References
Discretion is the power or right to decide or act according to one's own judgment; freedom of judgment or choice. In a broader social context, it refers to the quality of being discreet, encompassing the ability to behave or speak in such a way as to avoid causing offense or revealing private information.
The concept is foundational in various fields, particularly in law, where it refers to the authority granted to an official (such as a judge or police officer) to make decisions based on their assessment of the specific circumstances rather than by strict adherence to a rigid code. It acts as a necessary counterbalance to the rigidity of written rules, allowing for equity and mercy in complex human situations.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “discretion” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.